A particular type of inflatable restraint for an occupant in a motor vehicle is commonly referred to as an airbag. The airbag is stored in a motor vehicle in an uninflated condition. When the vehicle experiences a collision/indicating condition of a predetermined threshold level, gas is directed to flow into the airbag from a gas producing source. The gas inflates the airbag to an extended condition in which the airbag expands into the occupant compartment of the motor vehicle. When the airbag is inflated, it restrains occupant movement toward interior portions of the motor vehicle.
The airbag is typically mounted in the vehicle as part of an airbag module. In addition to the airbag, the airbag module includes an inflator and a canister. The inflator is the source of gas for inflating the airbag. The canister contains the airbag and the inflator, and typically has a deployment opening through which the air bag emerges from the canister when inflated.
A deployment door normally extends over the deployment opening in the canister to conceal the airbag and other parts of the air bag module from the occupant compartment. The deployment door may be a trim piece on an instrument panel of the motor vehicle.
When the inflator is actuated, gas is directed into the air bag moving it outward from the canister through the deployment opening and forcefully against the deployment door. A closure portion of the deployment door is ruptured by the pressure in the expanding air bag. As the air bag continues to move outward against the deployment door, it pivotally moves the deployment door away from the deployment opening. The deployment door thus opened allows the air bag to enter the occupant compartment through the deployment opening.
To accommodate inflatable restraints into a vehicle seat for side protection of vehicle occupants, a seamless side inflatable restraint deployment system for an occupant seated in a seat is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,762,363 (Brown et al) assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated herein by reference. That system included a side inflatable restraint module attached to a frame of a seat and a pad disposed adjacent the module having a deployment opening therein. A tear initiator envelope encloses the module and extends through the deployment opening to concentrate deployment forces of the inflatable restraint to form a desired exit location in a seat trim of the seat for the inflatable restraint to deploy therethrough. Packaging of this system as well as other seat mounted side airbag systems, however, may present a comfort issue to an occupant. Such an issue arises due to space limitations, and some seat designs cannot prevent the occupant from feeling the side air bag packaged in the seat. In addition, it may be desirable to adjust the deployment direction of a side air bag to accommodate various seat designs, seat locations, and vehicle designs.